Helen Farnsworth Mears

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Helen Farnsworth Mears
Augustus Saint Gaudens

Helen Farnsworth Mears (/mɪərs/; December 21, 1872 – February 17, 1916) was an American sculptor.[1]

Early years

Mears was born December 21, 1872, in

Frederick MacMonnies.[6][7]

Career

Her first success, before any formal art training, was "Genius of Wisconsin", a work commissioned by the State of Wisconsin when she was just 21. The work was

Jean Pond Miner were named "artists in residence" at the Wisconsin Building, and that is where she created The Genius of Wisconsin, while Miner produced Forward.[11]

Mears was one of a group of women sculptors christened the "

World Columbian Exposition.[12]

In 1907, Mears, and her sister, writer Mary Mears, were the first colonists at

MacDowell Colony.[13]

Important works

Her most important works include a

William T.G. Morton, M. D. (Smithsonian Institution, Washington). In 1904, her "Fountain of Life" (St. Louis Exposition) won a bronze medal. She made New York her residence and exhibited there and in Chicago.[citation needed
]

Statue of Wisconsin

In 1910, George B. Post, the architect of the Wisconsin State Capitol then being designed, attempted to secure the services of the well-known sculptor Daniel Chester French to create a statue of Wisconsin to be placed on top of the dome. French, having as much work as he desired, turned the commission down, and Post recommended Mears for the job. With the belief that she had the contract, she began working on a model; she ultimately created three models, with two of them receiving feedback from the commission.[14]

By August 1911, Post suggested that Mears could not complete the design in their time frame, and the commission ultimately selected French to complete the sculpture.[14] Mears was paid $1,500 for the work that she had already done, but the loss of the commission was a shock from which she never recovered.[15][16]

Death

Following the debacle surrounding the Wisconsin Capitol statue, Mears's health declined, as did her financial well-being. She died of heart disease on February 17, 1916, at the age of 43.[7][17][18] At the time of her death, she was working in her studio at 46 Washington Square South, in Greenwich Village.[citation needed]

Gallery

  • Genius of Wisconsin Helen Farnsworth Mears
    Genius of Wisconsin Helen Farnsworth Mears
  • Death Uncovering Its Face and Showing It To Be Life by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
    Death Uncovering Its Face and Showing It To Be Life by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
  • Sketch for Fountain of Silence and Meditation by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1915
    Sketch for Fountain of Silence and Meditation by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1915
  • Armless Angel by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
    Armless Angel by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
  • The Awakening by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
    The Awakening by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1916
  • Edward Alexander MacDowell by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1906
    Edward Alexander MacDowell by Helen Farnsworth Mears, 1906

References

  1. ^ Women's Auxiliary, State Historical Society of (1971). "Helen Farnsworth Mears". Famous Wisconsin Women. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  2. ^ "Helen Farnsworth Mears". Wisconsin History Bulletin. 13 (11). March 1927. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  3. ^ Charles Rounds (1918). "Elizabeth Farnsworth Mears-- James Gates Percival". Wisconsin Authors and Their Works. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  4. ^ Archival Artifacts: Albee Bust Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Petteys, Chris, ‘’Dictionary of Women Artists’’, G K Hill & Co., 1985, p. 486.
  6. ^ Petteys, Chris, ‘’Dictionary of Women Artists’’, G K Hill & Co. publishers, 1985.
  7. ^ a b "Badger Sculptress Dead in New York". The Madison Democrat. February 19, 1916. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  8. ISBN 0938290037
    .
  9. ^ "Wisconsin Historical Society". December 2003. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  10. ^ "WER Image: Helen Mears sculpture".
  11. ^ Rajer, Anton and Christine Style. Public Sculpture in Wisconsin: An Atlas of Outdoor Monuments, Memorials and Masterpieces in the Badger State. Madison Wis.: SOS! Wisconsin, Save Outdoor Sculpture and Fine Arts Conservation Services, 1999, pp. 23 & 107.
  12. ^ Mears, Helen Farnsworth 1872 - 1916
  13. ISBN 978-0199339709
    . Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  14. ^ a b Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of State Facilities; East Wing Architects, LLC (November 2004). "Historic Structure Report: Wisconsin State Capitol, Book I: Comprehensive Volume" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Collection. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  15. ^ Rajer & Style
  16. ^ Helen Farnsworth Mears, WHi-10583
  17. ^ "Helen F. Mears Dies. A Noted Sculptor". The New York Times. February 18, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "Helen Farnsworth Mears". Hartford Courant. February 21, 1916. Retrieved November 23, 2013. Helen Farnsworth Mears Helen Farnsworth Mears, a famous sculptor, died Thursday in her home in New York. She was a pupil of St. Gaudens and afterwards of ...

Further reading

  • Levy, Hannah Heidi (2004). Famous Wisconsin: Artists and Architects. Oregon, WI: Badger Books.
  • Rubenstein, Charlotte Streifer. American Women Sculptors. G. K. Hall & Co., Boston 1990.
  • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
    New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help
    )

External links
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